Trolley-wire hanger



(NoModeL) A W MESTON TROLLEY WIRE HANGER.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

ALEXANDER IV. MESTON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TROLLEY-WIRE HANGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 501,481, dated July 11, 1893.

Application filed October 31, 1892. Serial NoA L150,501. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER W. MES- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Wire Hangers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, in which like letters of reference denote like parts in the several gures, and in which- Figure 1 is an elevational view of my improved hanger, as adapted to be supported on a bracket-arm, taken as at right angles to the trolley-Wire. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section, taken as on the line 3-3 in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l, but of the adaptation of my hanger to be supported on a cross-street supporting-wire, being a View taken as looking along the trolley-wire; and Fig. 4t is a perspective view of the inner side of one of the clip plates for securing the trolley wire to the hanger proper.

As is well-known, the office of a trolleywire hanger, generally speaking, is to supportl the over-head trolley-wire in place, and to insulate the same from the bracket-arm, or the cross-street supporting-wire, by which it is supported. For the purpose of efficiently supporting the trolley-wire, the parts of the hanger directly in contact with the trolleywire and immediately attached to the supporting fixture are, necessarily, of metal, to insure the requisite strength; that is, these parts are conductors. 'Ihese parts, in the hanger, are, therefore, necessarily insulated from each other, and in such manner as to be weather-proof, to prevent the trolley-wire, under all circumstances, from becoming grounded on the supporting-wire or bracket.

Various forms of devices have been produced, and different materials have been used, to insulate these parts of the hanger from each other. There are serious objections to all the pre-existing forms, as, for instance, in the bellshaped hangers, where rubber, mica, dec., have been used as the insulation, the lack of strength is the objection. In other devices, where this defect of weakness has been remedied, by making use of metal parts, so formed as to be efficiently insulated from each other, under ordinary circumstances, and yet to relieve the insulation from the breaking strains put upon the hanger in practical use, they at once introduce, if anything, a more serious objection-that of bringing the parts so close together that the trolley, in slipping off the trolley-Wire, as it often does, forms circuit from one part to the other, establishing an are across the insulation by grounding the trolley-wire. This is particularly the case where the hanger is suspended from a metal post bracket-arm, as Well as when hung on a cross-street supporting-wire, unless the same is itself thoroughly insulated from the ground.

My invention has for its object the production of a trolley-wire hanger that, in itself, shall be strong enough to meet the sevcrest requirements in this respect to which it can be put in practice; one that efficiently insulates the trolley-Wire from its support under circumstances of ordinary use; and one that, when the trolley slips off of the trolley-wire, it will be impossible to form a short circuit from the part in contact with the trolley-wire to the part which is in electrical connection with the supporting-arm or Wire.

It consists in the hereinafter-described device and in the details of improvement involved in its construction and application.

My improved hanger consists in four essential parts: the part A (Figs. l and 3), or A (Fig. 2), by which the hanger, as a whole, is secured to or suspended from the supporting fixture-the bracket-arm (not shown) in the case of the form of device illustrated in Figs. l and 2, or the cross-street supportingwire B (Fig. 3) 5 the part O, to which the trolley-wire D is secured by suitable means; the connecting insulating piece E; and the circuit-breaking piece F, intermediately situated between the parts A, or A', and the part C, and insulated therefrom. The pieces A and A are preferably made of some cast metal, and are formed as a cap-piece closed at the top, and with a radially extending petticoat portion on the lower edge, to form a watershed. Into the central hollow space in the piece A, or A', is inserted and secured the upper end of the insulation piece E. The

piece E is preferably made of hard wood, properly prepared to prevent the absorption of moisture, and is preferably screw-threaded its full length, as the means of securing theret0 the several parts, as A, or A,'C, and F, attached to the same, these parts being formed with female threads to correspond therewith, and screwed thereon, as nuts on a bolt, first, the intermediate piece AF and then the end members A, or A', and C. Vlo the lower end of the piece or stem F., is secured the cupshaped piece C, which is preferably made of metal cast in the desired form, and is formed with alongitudinally-extending iiattened projection C', to which are secured the clip-plates G in the lower edges of which the trolley-Wire D is retained, when the hanger is put to practical use. Secured on the insulation piece or stem E, at approximately the middle of its length, so as to keep it electrically insulated from the parts A, er A., and C, is the intermediate piece F, which is formed, essentially, j

as a flange, and made to project radially, or transversely relative to the vaxis of the stem piece E, to such an extent as to prevent circuit being established, under any but extraordinary circumstances, between the pieces A, or A', and C, by a passing obj ect, as the trolley when it has left the trolley-wire being preferably formed, as illustrated, bell-shaped, or as a petticoat, for water-shedding purposes. It is preferably made of metal, in order to withstand the blows it is likely to receive in actual use. It is obvious that the results claimed for the improvement in this particularcould be as efficiently accomplished by making the part F integral with the insulation piece E, forming the piece E with a raised circumferential rib,

or radially extending flange projection, corresponding with the removable part F. It is, however, preferably made as an independent piece, as shown, for economic reasons in the manufacture of the hanger as a whole. The several pieces A, or A, F, and C are preferably prevented from turning on the screwthreaded stem E, and thereby retained in their proper relative positions, by the setscrews d (see Figs. l and 2). The suspension piece A', Fig. 3, is of the ordinarywell-known type of such device, in which the supporting wire B is threaded through the open-sided wire receptacles in the ends of the laterallyextending arms B and around the central hub-portion of the piece A in under the radially-extending rib A. In the upper end ofthe cap or suspension piece A, is provided means for securing` thereto a screw-eye, the end of which is shown in Fig. l, or equivalent device, as the means for securing the piece to a supporting fixture, whereby the hanger, as

a whole, is suspended from the supporting fixture. The longitudinally-projecting end C of the piece C is perforated, as at c, as shown in Fig. 2 and in dotted lines in Fig. l, to receive the pivotal studs c projecting from the inner side faces of the plates G. In this manner, when the clip-plates G are secured together by the several screws g, the studs e replace a removable and independent pivotal bolt, or similar device, rendering the assemblage of the parts, when the trolley-wire D is secured in its suspended position, much more convenient. The clip-plates G are formed in their lower edge with curved lips d between which the trolley-Wire D is retained, and along their upper edge with the inwardly-projecting bearing lips d', (see Figs. 3 and 4) which, when the parts are assembled, as shown in Fig. 2, and the plates G are drawn together by the screws g, act as fulcrum bearings to more firmly secure the trolley-wire D in between the curved lips d, at the same time preventing a binding bearing being effected, at the pivotal studs e, between the side faces of the projection C and the contiguous faces of the clip plates G. The possibilities of the pivotal function of the studs e, as entered in the receptacle c therefor in the lower depending member C of the piece C, are shown in the dotted line position of the clip-plates G in Fig. l. It is obvious that the pivoted clipplates G might be dispensed with and the trolley-wire D secured directly to the member C of the hanger, without departing from the essential features of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patentisl. In a trolley-wire hanger, the combination with `the upper suspension member andthe lower trolley-wire supporting member, of a screw threaded connecting insulation stem, the upper and lower members being screwthreaded for the reception of the ends of the screw threaded connecting stem, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In a trolley-wire hanger, the combination with the upper suspension member and the lower trolley-wire supporting member, of a screw threaded connecting insulation stem, the upper and lower members being screwthreaded for the reception of the ends of the screw threadedconnecting stem, and means for preventing the said upper and lower members from unscrewing from the stem, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. In a trolley wire hanger the combination with the upper suspension member and the lower trolley wire supporting member, of

van intermediate insulation member having threaded connection with the upper and lower members, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

et. In a trolley-wire hanger, the combination with the upper suspension member, trolleywire supporting member, and connecting insulation stem, of an intermediate, radiallyextending, flange member secured on the connecting stem and insulated from the upper and lower members, substantially as and for the purposes described.

5. In a trolley-wire hanger, the combination with the upper suspension ymember, trolley wire supporting member, and screw-threaded connecting insulation stem, of an intermediate, radially extending', fiange member secured on the connecting stem and insulated. from tor;

IIO

the upper and lower members, the said upper, lower, and intermediate members being interiorly screw threaded adapting them to be screwed on to the screwthreaded connecting stem, substantially as and for the purposes described.

6. In a trolley-wire hanger, the combination with the upper suspension member, lower trolley-wire supporting member, and connecting` plates being formed with pivotal studs in 011e side face of the same, and the trolley-wire supporting member being formed with receptacles for the reception of the pivotal studs, substantially as and for the purposes described.

8. In a clip plate for securing the trolleywire to the trolley hanger, the combination with the curved lips in which the wire is retained, of a raised rib on the inner side face of the clip plate, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto at'x my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 18th day ot October, 1892.

ALEXANDER W. MESTON.

Vitnesses:

A. RAMEL, H. K. WAGNER. 

